Seasoned Advice
Seasoned Advice

Questions tagged [vacuum]

61 questions
22
votes
7 answers

Are any retail vacuum-sealing systems worth the expense?

Living alone means that my leftovers tend to go a pretty long way, and I don't end up using raw ingredients as quickly as the supermarkets expect me to. For a while I've been considering investing in a vacuum-sealing system to avoid having to throw…
Aaronut
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16
votes
12 answers

Using a vacuum sealer to marinate?

With the vacuum sealers that have hit the market, they're have been a lot of toys added onto the products. One such device is used for marinating meat. It just looks like a tupperware bin with a nozzle on the lid, and you use a hose to vacuum all…
Joel
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15
votes
9 answers

How do I impart "extra" flavor with Sous Vide cooking?

I've been cooking Sous Vide 2-3 times a week for about 10 months now, and I absolutely love it. The control of temperature and time makes for some really interesting possibilities. But, one of the touted benefits of the method is better imparting of…
yossarian
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15
votes
2 answers

Repackaging shelf-stable products

For products that start out shelf stable but are labeled "refrigerate after opening," I'm wondering if it's possible to safely return them to their shelf-stable status to save refrigerator space. A few specific products come to mind: olives, maple…
Jeff Axelrod
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14
votes
1 answer

Are the claims legitimate linking botulism to vacuum prepared foods?

I have read in many places 1,2,3 claims of a link between preparing foods sous vide and botulism, with claims that this is because the food is prepared in a vacuum. This struck me as illogical, so I looked around online and could find no solid…
Jeff Axelrod
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11
votes
8 answers

Technique for filling vacuum seal bags without getting any food on the rim

I really like my new Vacuum sealer. However, I am having a lot of trouble keeping the top part of the bag totally dry & clean while filling it. It is my assumption that a good seal requires a perfectly clean rim. To bag meat, I eventually…
Bookaholic
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10
votes
1 answer

Why does vacuum-sealed fish caution against thawing in the package, but vacuum-sealed meat doesn't?

Whenever I buy frozen vacuum-sealed fish, the package clearly instructs me not to thaw the fish without removing it from the vacuum seal. This makes sense in a hazy intuitive way if I think about anaerobic bacteria like botulinum. However, the…
Barbot
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9
votes
5 answers

Is there a way to make compressed watermelon without a vacuum machine?

I've got in mind to make a dish with compressed watermelon, but I don't have access to a vacuum machine. I've tried once using weight, but it just cracks because the pressure is all from one side. Thoughts? If not, can it be done with a home vacuum…
Michael Natkin
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9
votes
1 answer

Are vacuum pump effective to improve wine conservation?

Is there any evidence for (or against) those "Vacuum Wine Saver" pumps (such as "Vacu Vin") that claim to improve the conservation of opened wine bottles? By evidence, I mean blind tastings or equivalent. It is easy to find a lot of opinions on the…
Calimo
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9
votes
4 answers

Is there some trick to vacuum sealing broccoli?

In Sous Vide for the Home Cook Douglas Baldwin gives a recipe for broccoli. In brief, blanch the broccoli, cool in an ice bath, then vacuum seal as a single layer in a bag with salt, pepper, and butter. Except this does not work with an external…
derobert
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8
votes
3 answers

How can I keep large packs of ham fresh longer?

On the back of the packs of sliced ham I buy it usually says “once opened eat within x days”. I often find that I have ham left over that needs to be eaten, that I’d prefer to save for another day. How can I reseal my large packs of ham in to…
Danny Beckett
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7
votes
1 answer

How to remove individual steaks from a lump I mistakenly froze together?

I got a vacuum sealer and stored about 7 pieces of steak in 1 bag. I put it in the freezer and just now I decided to take out a couple of steaks to thaw out so I cut open the bag but all the steaks are frozen together. I know if I heat them all up I…
Celeritas
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6
votes
2 answers

Vacuum sealing vs. water displacement method when doing longer sous vide cooking

Modernist Cuisine recommends that for longer sous vide cooking (times greater than 36 hours) that bags are vacuum sealed rather than just using the water displacement method to remove the air from a ziploc bag. What is the reason for this? Will I be…
MeltedPez
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6
votes
1 answer

Can I vacuum seal my homemade bone broth in a Ball jar?

It appears you can purchase bone broth in cardboard containers that have a shelf-stable life for three or more months. If this is because of the absence of air in the container, for those broths that contain no preservatives, then I should be able…
Lynn
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6
votes
1 answer

Thawing vacuum-packed fish

I purchased vacuum-packed Flounder and the individual wrapped filets bear the following statement: Must remove from packaging before thawing. Do not refreeze. Now, "do not refreeze" is straightforward. We were taught in grade school, don't…
gowenfawr
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